A new solo album from one of the great masters of the
acoustic guitar. Ralph Towner has appeared in many contexts for ECM since 1972,
but it is perhaps his outstanding solo recitals which most clearly emphasise both
his improvisational brilliance and his finely-wrought compositional sense.
The dictionary defines an anthem as a solemn song of praise; there are several
on this disc. Most are written by Towner himself and played with the
"almost oriental sense of balance and dignity" that the New York Times
long ago singled out as hallmarks of Ralph's work, but the repertoire
here also includes Charles Mingus's solemn song of praise in memory of
Lester Young, "Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat" as well as
"Gloria's Step", written by the late Scott LaFaro.